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Common Teal
The Common Teal (Anas crecca), previously known as the Green-winged Teal of Eurasian Teal, is a small waterfowl. Description The Common Teal is the smallest extant dabbling duck at 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) length and with an average weight of 340 g (12 oz) in drake (males) and 320 g (11 oz) in hens (females). The wings are 17.5–20.4 cm (6.9–8.0 in) long, yielding a wingspan of 53–59 cm (21–23 in). The bill measures 3.2–4 cm (1.3–1.6 in) in length, and the tarsus 2.8–3.4 cm (1.1–1.3 in). From a distance, the drakes in nuptial plumage appear grey, with a dark head, a yellowish behind, and a white stripe running along the flanks. Their head and upper neck is chestnut, with a wide and iridescent dark green patch of half-moon- or teardrop-shape that starts immediately before the eye and arcs to the upper hindneck. The patch is bordered with thin yellowish-white lines, and a single line of that color extends from the patch's forward end, curving along the base of the bill. The breast is buff with small round brown spots. The center of the belly is white, and the rest of the body plumage is mostly white with thin and dense blackish vermiculations, appearing medium grey even at a short distance. The outer scapular feathers are white, with a black border to the outer vanes, and form the white side-stripe when the bird is in resting position. The primary regimes are dark grayish brown; the speculum feathers are iridescent blackish-green with white tips, and form the speculum together with the yellowish-white tips of the larger upperwing coverts (which are otherwise grey). The underwing is whitish, with grey regimes, dense dark spotting on the inner coverts and a dark leading edge. The tail and tail coverts are black, with a bright yellowish-buff triangular patch in the center of the coverts at each side. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the hen; it is more uniform in color, with a dark head and vestigial facial markings. The hen itself is yellowish-brown, somewhat darker on wings and back. It has a dark greyish-brown upper head, hindneck, eyestripe and feather pattern. The pattern is dense short streaks on the head and neck, and scaly spots on the rest of the body; overall they look much like a tiny mallard (A. platyrhynchos) hen when at rest. The wings are coloured similar to the drake's, but with brown instead of grey upperwing coverts that have less wide tips, and wider tips of the speculum feathers. The hen's rectrices have yellowish-white tips; the midbelly is whitish with some dark streaking. Immature teals are colored much like hens, but have a stronger pattern. The downy young are colored like in other dabbling ducks: brown above and yellow below, with a yellow supercilium. They are recognizable by their tiny size however, weighing just 15 g (0.53 oz) at hatching.The American subspecies (green-winged teal) has a white stripe at the sides of the chest while the Eurasian subspieces hasn't. The teal is a very small duck (smallest Eurasian duck) and flies faster than other ducks, with more frenetic wingbeats. It is closely related to the mallard duck. Distribution and habitat Common Teals are found throughout most of America and Eurasia. Lives in swamps. Category:Birds Category:Bird Species Category:Birds of the uk Category:Birds of the United States Category:Birds of North America Category:Birds of South America Category:Waterfowl Category:Birds of Europe Category:Ducks Category:Anatidae Category:Birds of Asia